To Kirara Taki

 

After leaving the cannons of Tebikigaura Daiba Park my route along the coast follows Route 9 and the railway.

This section of coast has a lot of rocks, many just a little submerged and makes sailing close to the coast quite difficult. While sailing with a friend in a yacht with a keel, we scraped rocks a couple of times.

the road and railway are quite high above the water for this section.

The cape of the Shimane Peninsula ahead beckons.

A little further ahead is the Tagi fishing harbour.

Back in the town at the mouth of the river is a harbour, and I often see huge floating cranes moored there, but this harbour further along the coast has the Japan Fisheries building.

Up ahead the two wind generators on the hill above Kirara Taki, the michi-no-eki.

Then, another small harbour. I actually know this one quite well as my friend had his yacht moored here.

The road descends slightly and I pass through what is called Oda.... Little Paddy, not Big Paddy.

The small Oda River empties into the sea...

And then the beaches begin...

The area around Kirara Taki, the largish Michi no Eki, literally "road station" , a kind of service area without gas stations...

In recent years they have developed the area as a beach resort....

The beaches don't really compare with the ones we have down in Iwami..... but most of the population of Shimane lives in this end of the prefecture, so its the best they have I guess....

The previous post in this series on my walk along the Japan Sea Coast was on Tebikigaura Park.

Hiroshima Sky Arch Biggest Arch Bridge in Japan

 

Nicknamed the Hiroshima Sky Arch, this bridge that crosses the Numata River is the biggest arch bridge in Japan.

The bridge is 800 meters wide and the arch measures 380 meters.

The road is 190 meters above the river, and the tallest piers supporting the bridge are 95.6 meters and 89.5 meters, the second and third highest concrete piers in Japan.

The bridge was opened in 2011 and was expected to improve traffic access to Hiroshima Airport from the northern part of the prefecture. I cant find the exact figures, but I believe not much traffic uses it...

The previous post was on Bakusetsu Waterfall a little downstream.

Ichinotaki-ji Temple 40 Sasaguri Pilgrimage

 

Ichinotaki Temple in the mountains of Sasaguri is said to have more than 500 statues, including a set of rakan.

Temple number 40 on the Sasaguri Pilgrimage, it is fairly high up a narrow valley.

Several shrines and altars line the approach path including the Tamamitsu Inari Shrine, pictured above, and the Shokankiten Hall next door to it.

The temple was established, by local donations, in 1892.

The honzon is a Yakushi Nyorai.

There are actually two waterfalls, the larger considered male, and the smaller, female.

With the waterfall comes many Fudo Myoo's, and I previously posted photos of 18 of them...

There is quite a large Bato Kannon, sometimes called Horsehead Kannon

Theer are alo numerous, but not 500, expressive statues of rakan, first photo of the post and the next couple of photos...

There is supposed to be one clutching a bunch of banknotes but I couldnt find it...

The statue below was very unusual, at least in this area. It is a Ta no kami, a god of the rice paddy.

When viewed from the rear it is unambiguously a phallus.

En no Gyoga, often found at waterfalls as the legendary founder of Shugendo.

The Seven Luck Gods.... only one of which is Japanese....

Looking down on Ichinotaki Temple

The smaller "female" falls....

The previous post was on the Fudo Myoo statues of Ichinotaki....

Bakusetsu Waterfall

 

Bakusetsu Falls is a picturesque waterfall located just off the Numata River in the mountains of Hiroshima, north of Hongu.

A narrow road from Prefectural Route 33 passes under the railway line.

Only a few hundred meters and you reach the falls.

30 metres high and about 4 metres wide, it is a popular spot as it is so close to the main road.

From here a 1.3-kilometer trail leads to Seishinji Temple.

Mori Motonari, the great daimyo of the 16th century who ended up controlling most of the Chugoku region is said to have bathed here on his way to a banquet at Seishinji Temple.

A little further along the trail is a much smaller falls.

The previous post was on the sights and scenery of the Numata River.